internecine

The definition of internecine is something that is harmful or destructive to both sides involved.

An example of internecine was the Civil War.

internecine

Now Rare full of slaughter or destruction

deadly or harmful to both sides of a group involved in a conflict, as a civil war; mutually destructive or harmful

of or involving conflict within a group

Origin of internecine

Classical Latin internecinus ; from internecare, to kill, destroy ; from inter-, between + necare, to kill: see necro-

internecine

adjective

Of or relating to struggle within a nation, organization, or group.

Mutually destructive; ruinous or fatal to both sides.

Characterized by bloodshed or carnage.

Origin of internecine

Latin internec&imacron;nus, destructive, variant of internec&imacron;vus, from internecare, to slaughter : inter-, intensive pref.; see inter– + nex, nec-, death; see nek-1 in Indo-European roots. Word History: When is a mistake not a mistake? In language at least, the answer to this question is “When everyone adopts it,” and on rare occasions, “When it's in the dictionary.” The word internecine presents a case in point. Today, it usually has the meaning “relating to internal struggle,” but in the first known attestation of internecine, dating from 1663, it is used with the meaning “fought to the death” as part of the phrase internecine war. How the word acquired its more common modern sense is an interesting story in the history of English. The Latin source of the word, spelled both internec&imacron;nus and internec&imacron;vus, meant “fought to the death, murderous.” It is a derivative of the verb necare, “to kill.” The prefix inter– was here used not in the usual sense “between, mutual” but rather as an intensifier meaning “all the way, to the death.” Samuel Johnson was unaware of this fact when he was working on his great dictionary in the 18th century. He included internecine in his dictionary but misunderstood the prefix and defined the word as “endeavoring mutual destruction.” Johnson was not taken to task for this error. On the contrary, his dictionary was so popular and considered so authoritative that this error became widely adopted as correct usage. The error was further compounded when internecine acquired the sense “relating to internal struggle.” This story thus illustrates how dictionaries are often viewed as providing norms and how the ultimate arbiter in language, even for the dictionary itself, is popular usage.

Sentence Examples

A race was formed strong enough to keep the empire itself in check, strong enough, except for its own internecine contests, to have formed a nation equal to its happier neighbors.

The nearer the neighbors, the more rancorous and internecine is the strife; and, as in all cases where animosity is deadly and no grave local causes of dispute are apparent, we are bound to conclude that some deeply-seated permanent uneasiness goaded these fast growing communities into rivalry.

Thus Athens enjoyed immunity from war and internecine struggle, and for the first time for years was in enjoyment of settled financial prosperity (see Constitution of Athens, c. 16.

Rivalry in fishing and in trading, coupled with ancient antipathies inherited from the various mainland cities of origin, were no doubt the cause of these internecine feuds.

Other writers, again, blame the com mercial cupidity of the Italian towns; of what avail, they asked with no little justice, was the Crusade, when Venice and Genoa destroyed the naval bases necessary for its success by their internecine quarrels in the Levant (as in 1257), or - still worse - entered into commercial treaties with the common enemy against whom the Crusades were directed?